Atalanta scrape through but Juve out of CL as Italian giants hit alarming low

Milan, 20 February — When Lazar Samardžić slammed a 98th-minute penalty past Galatasaray’s goalkeeper to complete Atalanta’s breathless two-leg escape, the Gewiss Stadium erupted in relief rather than celebration. The 3-2 win on the night, 5-5 on aggregate, sent La Dea through on away goals and kept a single Italian flag flying in the Champions League last-16. It also underlined the scale of the peninsula’s collapse on the continental stage: for the first time in the modern era, only one Serie A club will feature in the knockout phase.

Inter, Napoli and Juventus have all perished inside seven days. Inter’s demise was perhaps the most startling; Simone Inzaghi’s side, 10 points clear domestically, were out-played by Norwegian debutants Bodo/Glimt in the San Siro, losing the play-off tie 4-2 on aggregate. The sight of club icons Ronaldo Nazário and Christian Vieri paraded at half-time only sharpened the contrast between past glory and present frailty.

Juventus followed 24 hours later. Reduced to 10 men after ex-Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly’s red card, Massimiliano Allegri’s team forced extra-time in Turin before succumbing 7-5 on aggregate to Galatasaray. A spirited second-leg performance could not mask the blunt reality: the Old Lady have now gone three straight seasons without reaching the quarter-finals.

Reigning champions Napoli never even made the knock-out path, finishing 12th in the league phase, while AC Milan are absent from Europe altogether. Bologna and Roma survive in the Europa League, and Fiorentina scraped into the Conference League last-16 only via a play-off against Poland’s Jagiellonia Białystok.

The numbers reveal a structural malaise. Serie A’s direct speed of play has fallen for five consecutive seasons, leaving Italy second-slowest among Europe’s “big five” leagues, ahead of only Ligue 1—whose clubs also failed to crack the Champions League top eight. Fabio Capello, speaking to Sky Italia, argued that Italian sides are “not accustomed to playing at a high pace” and “make mistakes when pressed.”

Financial reticence compounds the tactical stagnation. Last summer’s biggest outlay by an Italian club was Milan’s £36 million purchase of Christopher Nkunku; the league’s headline acquisitions were free transfers Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modrić and Jamie Vardy. When 40-year-old Modrić is tasked with providing Champions League creativity, the talent drain is obvious.

Youth development is equally bleak. Since June, only one Azzurri international—Inter teenager Pio Esposito—is under 24. In 2025, Serie A handed just 1.9 % of its minutes to under-21 eligible players, the second-worst share among the world’s top 50 leagues. Between 2020 and 2025 Italy exported 413 professionals, ranking 24th globally, behind the United States, Japan and Russia.

Off the pitch, infrastructure lags. Deloitte’s latest Football Money League lists no Italian club in Europe’s top 10, citing weak non-matchday stadium usage. The San Siro, cathedral of calcio, is undergoing renovation precisely because it has fallen far short of modern commercial demands.

Atalanta’s dramatic progression offers a sliver of hope, yet the wider picture is sobering: the peninsula that once defined European excellence now faces urgent questions about speed, spending, youth production and innovation. For a nation that has lifted four World Cups and countless continental trophies, the low point may not yet have been reached.